Saturday, February 28, 2009

Are times so tough that company bigwigs have to take to the streets to hawk their wares? Probably not. But Cindi Bigelow, head of Bigelow Tea did just that not so long ago, grabbing her mike and camera crew and pounding the pavement in Manhattan to spread the good word about tea.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

If you're visiting this Web site, chances are you have something of an appreciation for tea. In which case you might find it interesting to note that there's an actual Tea Appreciation Society.

In their own words, "The Tea Appreciation Society was originally set up in 2007 by a small group of designers, since then it has grown into a wonderful worldwide collective of tea lovers, many of whom are artists, musicians, photographers and other creative types."

The Society currently has 599 members. Check out their Web site, blog, assorted tea-related merchandise and more, right here.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

If you're looking for some light reading about the history and lore of tea with some poetry and other stuff thrown in for good measure, head on over to Project Gutenberg and check out The Little Tea Book by Arthur Gray. It was published in 1903, by Gray who also put together a similar book called Over the Black Coffee.

In my relatively limited experience with Darjeeling teas, I've tended to find them a bit problematic. While the best of them are worthy of their exalted reputation, too many seem to heavy on the astringency and slight bitterness I've found to be relatively common to the breed.

For the most part, New Moon Darjeeling isn't plagued by these latter two issues. It has a nice light color and flavorwise it's a little heavier than many of the Darjeelings I've tasted, which tended to be light with a faintly floral note. While the flavor was a little more robust than I'm accustomed to with a Darjeeling it was quite nice nonetheless.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Chai Direct aims to bring chai online to America in a big way. What is chai? Chai is simply the Indian word for "tea." But in the West, chai tea refers to spiced Indian tea specifically. This is traditional black tea with a variety of added spices including cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, black pepper and more. It is generally mixed with milk, giving it a rich and creamy spiced flavor. The authentic Indian chai tea is sometimes called Masala Chai, or simply Authentic Chai. The typical American version of chai, perhaps most commonly found at Starbucks® these days, is a highly-sweetened and low-spice version of chai known as a chai latte.

That is changing now with the launch of Chai-Direct.com, which offers chai across the spectrum - from authentic Indian Masala chai tea to the highly sweet chai tea latte and everything in between. Chai Direct features 11 brands including specialty microbrewers as well as the big players in the chai tea market. Every flavor, type and preference is represented. The new chai tea website at Chai-Direct.com becomes operational on Saturday, February 14th, 2009 - an appropriate opening date for those truly devoted lovers of chai!

Friday, February 20, 2009

The Chinese government in 2008 drastically changed the export laws related to tea in order to avert any more scandals related to contaminated food products. One American company, Seven Cups in Tucson, Arizona is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the new Chinese export laws. Seven Cups is the first tea company in America to obtain its own Chinese trading license.more

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Much is still being made of our new president's fondness for Honest Tea, most notably the Green Dragon and Black Forest Berry flavors. Which is not surprising given that much is being made of nearly every move Obama and his family have made for the last several months.

Shop Talk, a Reuters blog, recently took a look at the Obama/Honest Tea link, comparing it to the Reagan/jelly bean phenomenon, interviewing some of the principals and trying to figure it all out.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Is it mere coincidence that two books released 16 years apart bear the title Tea Leaves? We may never know. The first, published in 1884 by Sir Francis Drake is a historical document, whose verbose subtitle also serves as a good summary, "Being a Collection of Letters and Documents relating to the shipment of Tea to the American Colonies in the year 1773, by the East India Tea Company. (With an introduction, notes, and biographical notices of the Boston Tea Party)"

The other Tea Leaves, published by Francis Leggett & Co. in 1900 offers more historical perspective on tea. It was penned by the "Importing and Manufacturing Grocers" whose "object in publishing this and other books is to bring ourselves and our goods into closer relations with consumers at a distance from New York; and incidentally, to provide readers with interesting information respecting the food which they eat and drink."

If either title piques your interest, go to the Project Gutenberg Web site and download the free editions.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

If there's anyone who's followed this site for a while, you might recall that I'm a huge fan of quality Assam varieties. So when Montreal-based David's Tea passed along a quartet of samples for me to weigh in on I pounced on the Assam Banaspaty like a coyote on a roadrunner.

A lousy or even a mediocre Assam is one of the more considerable disappointments in a tea drinker's day, but a great Assam is a thing of wonder. David's Assam Banaspaty falls firmly into the latter category. It has a smooth mouth feel, with no hint of astringency or bitterness. If I recall correctly, the packaging (which I discarded prematurely) mentioned that the flavor profile had some notes of honey. Which sounded odd to me and not all that appealing, but its true and it was actually quite a nice touch.

One thing I do take exception to is an excerpt from the Web page copy, which says "If you like milk in your tea, then this is the Assam for you." We all like what we like and I won't trash anyone for adding milk to their tea, but I'd strongly urge you to taste high-end Assam tea without milk. You may be surprised.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

By simply purchasing tea or clicking on a mouse, Celestial Seasonings tea drinkers can support the planting of trees in developing countries and help promote environmental and economic sustainability around the world.

Celestial Seasonings will sponsor the planting of more than one million trees through a new partnership with the nonprofit organization Trees for the Future. Tea drinkers can join Celestial Seasonings in planting trees in two ways: by purchasing the brand’s all-natural teas between now and March 31, 2009, and by visiting this Web site, where they are given the opportunity to participate in a free interactive program that turns virtual trees into reality.

Monday, February 09, 2009

It's a Valentine for tea-lovers: two delicious, naturally sweet new flavors from Bigelow Tea... an idea brewed up especially for Valentine's Day.

White Chocolate Kisses blends the heavenly taste of rich, decadent chocolate with robust black tea. So aromatic and delicious, it's hard to believe that each chocolaty cup is a zero-calorie treat! For even richer flavor, a little milk and sweetener will enhance the chocolate taste experience.

Sweetheart Cinnamon is an herbal tea blended with aromatic cinnamon and kissed with a finishing note of sweet apple. The result is a deliciously balanced, zero calorie treat that embraces you with the warming flavor of that traditional Valentine favorite -- cinnamon hearts! All natural and caffeine-free, it's an enjoyable taste sensation that is perfect for this time of year.

These two new, limited edition teas will be available exclusively during the Valentine season, both in-store and on the Bigelow Tea website.

Friday, February 06, 2009

If you're new to tea it might take some time to get used to the relatively subtle flavors of some varieties. This point was brought home to me when I recently tasted two samples from Narien Teas, an online tea merchant who got rolling in the summer of 2008.

While their Dragonwell (green) and Silver Needles (white) were both good, I'd been going through a phase where I was drinking stronger varieties, such as a robust Yunnan (black) and a strong Sencha (green). Which tended to color my perceptions of these two low-key teas. The moral, I guess, if there is one, is that what you've been drinking now is likely to have an effect on what you're drinking next.

If you'd like to sample Narien's wares, tell them Tea Guy sent you. Better yet use the coupon code "teaguyspeaks" and get %10 off.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

International Tea Expert Spins Stories of Adventure in New Book(for press release)

What happens when a young man growing up in Africa heads off to England to "find himself" - only to land in the finest of tea houses receiving classical training as a tea taster?

Award-winning author Barry W. Cooper shares with us his path to becoming the "Indiana Jones of Tea" in Silver Spoons, Mad Baboons, and Other Tales of Tea. Cooper won a 2008 IPPY Independent Publishing Award for this mix of adventure and tea education.

The stories in Silver Spoons cover a range of territory, from the early "Safari Encounters" years in Africa to Cooper's encounters in hostile territories when searching for the perfect herbs and teas in "Guns and Golf" and "Flight Out of a War Zone." A young man's initial training in the formal world of tea is detailed in "Lipton Training," insights gleaned from his time spent at Boulder's Celestial Seasonings are revealed, and his subsequent decision to leave and build his own Colorado tea company are chronicled as well. Mixed into the storytelling the Tea Master also shares his expertise on teas from all major countries of origin: India, China, Formosa, Ceylon, Japan and Kenya.

Barry Cooper is the CEO and Chairman of Cooper Tea Company, based in Louisville, CO. Cooper Tea Company manufactures premium iced teas. B.W. Cooper's Iced Brew Tea is available in restaurants across the country and B.W. Cooper's BAZZA High-Energy Tea is sold in select grocery stores.